Can you love me?
by trombonistnicole
Summary: A misunderstanding with Satine has left Obi-wan alone, but he finds himself developing rather inconvenient feelings for Quinlan Vos. Obi-wan/Quinlan, Ahsoka/Riyo, Rex/Siri. AU, no code against love in the Jedi Order. Please read and review. If you catch any errors, please let me know!
1. Chapter 1

Obi-Wan woke up and felt another body warm against his own body. Still mostly asleep, he snuggled up to the person next to him. He had no recollection of the previous night, but the pounding on his head suggested that he had been drinking. He forced himself to sit up and spots appeared before his eyes. The person in bed with him groaned. Obi-wan looked down to see Quinlan Vos sleeping next to him.

"Quinlan, get up." When Quinlan didn't shift, Obi-wan shook him gently. "Quinnie, wake up. "

Quinlan sat up and stretched his muscular shoulders rippling with strength. "Somebody's hung over," he commented. He stood up and walked to the bathroom, stark naked. Obi-wan put his hands on his bare legs. What have I done?

Quinlan came back out of the bathroom holding a cup of water. He placed one hand on the back of Obi-wan's head and pressed the cup to his lips. "Drink up, it'll make you feel better." Quinlan sat down next to him and ran a hand down Obi-wan's side. Obi-wan shuddered at his touch, feeling a strange mixture of arousal and affection. Obi-wan set the empty cup on the nightstand and turned to Quinlan.

"Now what?" he asked.

"We had an amazing one night stand, and now we can pretend that nothing happened." He stood up, got dressed, and left the room. Obi-wan put boxers on and drank plenty more water. Feeling slightly better, he got dressed and was about to leave when Anakin came in.

"Obi-wan, what's going on?" he asked.

"I was out a little late last night," he groaned. He felt too sick to even feel embarrassed.

Anakin smirked and sat down next to him. "Yeah, I can tell. The real question is, whose Force residue is this? "

Obi-wan feigned surprise. "Force residue? Other than mine, I don't know."

Anakin scoffed. "I can get these fingerprints scanned, Kenobi." He gestured to the glass of water on the nightstand. "Or you can just tell me and keep the rest of the Temple in the dark."

Obi-wan looked at him in horror. "Anakin, if you have any respect for me or care about me at all, you won't betray me like that."

"I would never tell anyone. You're right about that. But if it's true that you don't know who you were with last night or won't tell me, I have to be worried about your safety. I don't want you to catch an STD off of some drunk hooker, or whoever that chick was."

Hopefully he won't find out that it wasn't a girl.

Anakin continued. "Aren't you going out with Satine?"

He shook his head. "She dumped me."

"Ohhh,"Anakin said, putting his arm around Obi-wan's shoulder in a partial hug. "It was just a rebound hookup."

Obi-wan remembered the breakup painfully.

 _Quinlan and Obi-wan had just reunited through a mission. Afterwards, Obi-wan flew to Mandalore, not knowing that Quinlan was still onboard the vessel. Just as the ship landed, Quinlan awoke. He walked to the cockpit where Obi-wan was and, possibly due to alcohol, kissed him. Knowing that it was him, Satine had boarded to see her boyfriend with a man. Quinlan, being larger and stronger than Obi-wan, held him in place, but, from an outsider's point of view, the kiss looked consensual. Satine inhaled sharply, shocked by such a sight. Quinlan released Obi-wan, who took several steps away from him before backing into a wall._

 _"Oh, is he yours?" Quinlan asked. "Sorry, I'll get off your man. Assuming he can go back to girls after our experience."_

 _"Experience?" she yelled. She grabbed Obi-wan by his collar. "What act have you been putting up, you fag?"_

 _Obi-wan flinched. His chest was tight, feeling the squeeze of betrayal, of the non-consenting kiss, of the fear and guilt and horror. Despite all that it signified, that Quinlan could feasibly sexually assault him, that Satine would hate him forever, a part of him had enjoyed the kiss. A part of him wanted Quinlan to hold him and love him. But right now, he was afraid._

 _She slapped him across the cheek, and then across the other cheek. "I can't believe I fell for your ruse! I can't believe that you would do this to me! I hate you, Kenobi! I hope you burn in the fires of hell for using me like that!" She stormed off of the ship, never to forgive and never to apologize._

 _Obi-wan collapsed in a flood of tears. Already a part of him was trying to make it his fault. Hot tears streaked down his cheeks and his hands in which his face rested were shaking with sobs. His entire body shuddered in pain._

 _Quinlan sat down next to Obi-wan and wrapped his muscular arm around Obi-wan's shoulders, but Obi-wan scooted away from him. He pushed the larger man away, in too much pain to tolerate his moves._

 _"I'm sorry," Quinlan murmured. "I didn't mean to hurt you. The last thing I want is your pain. You're my best friend. I've broken the rules of friendship and I don't want you to hate me. Please, please forgive me."_

 _"I don't know what to do! I don't know who I am anymore! I don't know how I can forgive you! I can't even forgive myself!" Obi-wan was sobbing hysterically._

 _Quinlan pulled Obi-wan closer to him again and held him while_ _he_ _cried_.

Obi-wan shook his head. "There was a misunderstanding with Satine. She thought I was cheating on her."

"So, you were with the girl that she thought you were cheating on her with?"

Obi-wan nodded wordlessly.

"Were you cheating on her?" Anakin asked. He separated from Obi-wan and crossed his arms.

"No!" Obi-wan shouted. A tear slid down his cheek. "The-the-the person she thought I was with kissed me in front of her. It-I didn't want to-to be with that person."

Anakin's eyes widened. "What about last night? Was it- was it consensual?"

"I don't remember," he admitted quietly. "The-the person that I was with last night is strong enough to force me to..…"

Anakin hugged him tightly. "Who is this person?" he growled. His voice had the tone of protectiveness.

"Anakin, I have… feelings for this person, but I-I don't know if I wanted to be with them last night."

There was a strange look in Anakin's eyes. Obi-wan could tell that his avoidance of pronouns and his gender-neutral pronouns were making him suspicious. "Obi-wan, is this person… a guy?"

Obi-wan lowered his gaze. The last thing he wanted was Anakin knowing that he was questioning his sexuality. Anakin respected him. Anakin cared about him. He didn't want Anakin to think less of him, but he couldn't imagine lying to him. He stayed uncomfortably silent.

"Obi-wan, it's OK! I wouldn't think less of you if you were… bi. Or gay. Or whatever you are. I don't care! You're my best friend! I will never, ever judge you!"

Obi-wan buried his face in Anakin's chest. He shook with sobs as Anakin held him. "Anakin, I don't think I know what I am… but I-I feel like I should at my age. But I don't! I don't know what, or who, I am anymore! There's been a-a shift. But I don't know what. Or-or how. Or why."

Anakin kissed Obi-wan's forehead gently. "I'm here for you. I promise. That will never, ever change."

"I do need your help. The person that I was…with last night… our relationship is complicated. And unhealthy. But I don't want to be without… him." Obi-wan decided that Anakin deserved a gender pronoun. "He's a bit of a… philanderer. I don't know if he can change."

Anakin held Obi-wan as he cried, stroking his hair tenderly. "If anyone can convince someone to settle down, you can. Whoever this… man is, it wouldn't take a whole lot for him to feel the same way about you."

Obi-wan separated from Anakin to look him in the eyes. "I certainly hope so."


	2. Chapter 2

Anakin passed Quinlan Vos in the hall. His Force presence seemed familiar. He began prodding at it, trying to figure out from where he recognized it. His poking caused Quinlan to turn around and look at him.

"What are you doing?" Quinlan asked, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Get out of my head!"

Anakin grabbed Quinlan by the collar. "You're the heartbreaker! You're the one who's been leading Obi-wan on, the one who broke him up with Satine!" He shook Quinlan as he yelled.

"What is your problem?" Quinlan asked. "Why are you getting in my business with Obi-wan?"

"If I'm right, and you are the person that he was with last night, I will send you straight to hell," Anakin growled. "I don't care how Jedi-like or not Jedi-like that is, because I will never stop defending him."

Quinlan rolled his eyes. "I don't think he has feelings for me, Anakin. I don't doubt that he thinks I'm hot, but I'm pretty sure it's not for real. Besides, he knows I'd never settle down."

Obi-wan approached the pair. "What's going on?" he asked, looking at Anakin, at Quinlan, then back at Anakin. "Anakin, what are you doing?"

"Confronting the person you wish you were with." When Anakin saw the look in Obi-wan's eyes, he regretted what he'd said immediately.

"'Course he wants to be with me. But not for real. I figured you didn't want to know your master's dirty secrets," Quinlan said, almost in a taunting manner. "Or maybe you're just jealous."

Obi-wan looked upset, almost as though he would cry if somebody said something wrong. "I-I-I'm gonna go now." His eyes were wide as he fled.

Quinlan gave a melodramatic sigh. "Is Obi-wan having his period?" He pushed Anakin off of him. "I don't do people your age. You're too young. Sorry!" Quinlan strolled off, an infuriating grin on his face.

Anakin found Obi-wan sitting at breakfast, his head down as he picked at a bowl of plain oatmeal. Siri was sitting next to him, her hand on his shoulder. Over a year ago, they had agreed to remain friend-zoned to keep things from being awkward between them. Her lip curled at the corners with sympathy as she watched him eat.

"What happened?" Siri asked, looking at Anakin to answer. Her near-death experience had left her completely blind, and her formerly clear eyes had become milky. Her head was turned in Anakin's general direction, but Anakin had the notion that eye contact was impossible for her.

"It's complicated," he replied. "Ask me later."

Obi-wan lifted his head. "Satine broke up with me," he explained quietly. His grey eyes as well as his thoughts betrayed him, saying that he wasn't telling the whole truth.

Siri rotated her head back towards Anakin, her eyebrows raised. Anakin took Siri's hand and tapped on her palm, spelling out in Morse code, 'He has unrequited feelings for someone. He's embarrassed, so try not to ask who it is. I already threatened death upon this person, so you don't need to.'

'Is this person a man?' she tapped. 'He's been with men before.'

Anakin looked surprised, and his Force-presence showed his shock as well. "Who?" he demanded, this time aloud. Realizing his mistake he became sanguine. Siri smirked.

"I know you two have been talking this entire time. Go ahead and speak aloud. At least then it won't be behind my back." Obi-wan looked more irritated than hurt, which was certainly progress.

"Garen and Quinlan. He had a crush on Bruck, but… well, you know how that story ends. But no, Obi-wan definitely got around as a Padawan. As for girls, there was me, Cerasi, Satine, I think he had a fling with Luminara… mhm, I think that's it."

"I think that's plenty," Anakin chuckled. "Did you have a fling with Luminara?" He gazed at Obi-wan.

Obi-wan rolled his eyes. "Yes. But I was never with Cerasi. She didn't like me back."

"Aw," Siri said, looking somewhat amused. "But who have you actually dated?"

"Just you and Satine," he replied. "Speaking of dating, do you have anyone?" His face did not give away the intent of the question.

"Nope," she responded. "But there's a certain someone who's into me that I like back. I just think he should make the first move."

Anakin crossed his arms. Dare she tease him? "Who's that?"

Siri smiled. "Sorry, but I might distract your clone captain for a bit. He's a special guy."

"Ohhhh, OK. He's already been distracted, so… that might be why." Rex had recently been spending a lot of time staring off into space.

Obi-wan looked neither disappointed nor excited. "I'm happy for you," he murmured. "I hope that works out well." He stood up and walked away.

Siri walked into the quarters of the 501st. Most of the clones were in various forms of undressed, but Rex was sitting in full armor, minus the helmet. Upon her entry, the clones stood up and saluted.

"At ease," she ordered. As they resumed their activities, she approached Rex.

Rex looked up and immediately sanguined. "General Tachi! Wh-what can I do for you?" he asked, his cheeks a vibrant red.

She grabbed his collar and pulled his face close to hers. "I think you want something from me," she replied.

His eyes wide, he seemed to be searching for something to look at other than her face. He settled on a stray blonde hair. Siri overheard the thoughts that he was less than successful at hiding. She's blind, so maybe she won't notice that I'm blushing.

"I know you're blushing, Rex. You're not doing a very good job of hiding your thoughts."

He looked back into her milky silver eyes. "When did your eyes become silver?" he asked. It was clear he was trying to change the subject. "They look nice, by the way."

Siri rolled her eyes, a strange gesture when one lacks pupils. "Do you think I know what my eyes look like, Rex? I can't exactly look in the mirror."

"Since I'm so bad at concealing my thoughts, why don't you just look in my mind and find out?" He relaxed all of the mental barriers that he'd clearly began to build as a child. Siri looked through his mind to see hideous, pupilless, pale silvery eyes. She had put her face so close to his that she could see veins in her corneas. His square face was reflected in her eyes.

She pulled away from him. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to… I mean, I had no idea how horrible my eyes looked. I should probably wear, like… sunglasses or something so people don't have to—"

He put his finger on her lips. "Siri, you are so beautiful. Your eyes don't look bad at all. I think they're beautiful. You could turn into a Hutt and I would still love you." He realized that he'd professed his love to her and froze.

She placed her arms around his neck and kissed him. His lips parted as their tongues made contact. Siri could feel his heart pounding through his armor. After a too brief eternity they separated to see all of Rex's brothers staring.

After an awkward silence, Fives interjected, "Why don't you two get a room?"

Siri kissed his cheek. She took his hand and led him to her room.

Obi-wan sat on a mat in his room, trying and failing to meditate. He opened his eyes to see that night had already fallen. He'd missed a council meeting!

Master Windu entered his room. "Obi-wan," he greeted, approaching him slowly. "What's going on? You missed the council meeting."

Obi-wan looked up at him. "I'm sorry, master. I was meditating and I lost track of time."

Windu sat down on a mat across from him. "No, there's something else going on. Tell me what it is."

Obi-wan sighed. "I have an unrequited love situation going on. I'm struggling to deal with it, since…well, let's just say this person is less than serious."

"I'm sorry," Windu murmured. "I know what that's like."

Obi-wan's eyebrows lifted. "What are you talking about? Who?"

Windu shook his head. "She's a little too young for me anyway. I overheard you, Siri, and Anakin talking this morning and, well, let's just say you've been with her. She's too young for me."

Obi-wan smiled. "Is it Master Unduli?" he asked. A very morbid part of him was laughing out loud, but he restrained himself.

Windu's dark cheeks flushed. "Yes, I'm afraid so."

Obi-wan stretched out on the floor. "I've done nothing today. Nothing."

Windu gave a wan smile. "That's OK. If you need anything, I'm here."

With that, he walked away.


	3. Chapter 3

Ahsoka fell to the ground as Barriss once again bested her. Barriss took her hand and pulled her to her feet.

"Good one," Barriss complimented. "Your form is really improving."

"Thanks," Ahsoka replied. She was surprised that Barriss had not noticed how distracted she'd been during the fight. Of course, if I'd been paying attention, she probably wouldn't have won. Most people would rather not lessen their victory. Ahsoka was too deep in thought to notice Barriss leave the room with her master.

Anakin entered the room and approached Ahsoka. "Hey, Snips. What's on your mind?"

The white patterns on Ahsoka's cheeks flushed with red. "M-master, what are you talking about?" Her chest went tight as it filled with fear. What if he finds out?

"Ahsoka, I can sense your fear. What's going on? Don't lie to me, Ahsoka."

She shrank. "Master, it's really nothing. I just… I've been a little stressed out by the war," she lied. She could tell by the look on Anakin's face that he did not believe her. "I'm sorry, I'm just going through…something. It's…hard to explain."

He looked concerned. "Ahsoka, you can tell me anything. I won't judge you. I promise. I had this discussion with Obi-wan not three days ago."

"I'm not Obi-wan!" Ahsoka shouted. "I'm not 38, or however old he is, I'm not mature, I don't understand love or life or any of that! How can you expect me to get you to understand when I don't understand it?"

He hugged her. "Please tell me when you're ready. I want you to know that I'll always support you." He kissed her forehead tenderly.

He would never understand.

Obi-wan had spent hours trying to forget the image.

Quinlan slept next to him, his lips curved in a slight smile. He looked as though he hadn't shaved his face in days, but his chest looked freshly waxed. Muscular arms, covered in tattoos, were draped over Obi-wan. He had countless scars all over his perfect body. The simple yellow line across his face framed his peacefully closed eyes. His black dreadlocks, unruly as they were, made him look mature in the best way possible.

Quinlan entered Obi-wan's room quietly. "Obi-wan," he greeted, looking about the room for him.

Obi-wan stood up from the couch upon which he was resting. "Hey," he muttered, approaching him with a melancholy look on his face. "What's up?"

Quinlan hugged Obi-wan wordlessly. Obi-wan sank into the larger man's embrace, hoping that the gesture meant something. Something more than a friend.

After the two separated, Quinlan put his hand on Obi-wan's cheek. "I talked to Anakin. He said that you were in love with me and that I've been breaking your heart."

Obi-wan nuzzled his face into Quinlan's neck. "It's true," he admitted. "I want to be with you. Please, don't lead me on. I need you to be honest, to be with me or without me. I can't handle a maybe or a halfway."

"I can't decide yet, Obi-wan. I need some time. But I promise you, any move that I make from this point on will be for real." Quinlan took a step away from him. "I'm here for you, OK?"

Obi-wan nodded, not really wanting to speak further.

Anakin bumped into Quinlan as he was leaving Obi-wan's room. "What did you say to him?" he demanded.

Quinlan looked surprised at the sudden aggression. "I told him what you told me, and that, while I wasn't ready for commitment, I wouldn't make any moves without the intent of having a real relationship."

Anakin sighed. "I guess I can't really yell at you for that. But I need to yell at someone. My Padawan is acting weird and she won't tell me what's wrong."

Quinlan rolled his eyes. "There are plenty of people to rant to. I need to go meditate on the subject of Obi-wan Kenobi. See you around." Quinlan walked away.

Siri walked into the clone quarters and sat down next to Rex. "Hey," she greeted, resting her head on his armored shoulder. "Ugh. Take your armor off, please."

He obliged, taking off his shirt and replacing it with a generic black T-shirt. "Better?" he asked, putting his arm around her shoulders.

Siri nodded, and was about to respond when Anakin's Togruta Padawan entered the room. She was dressed in a skintight maroon minidress and black leggings. The cutouts on the outfit made her look like a hooker, and her fierce facial expression didn't suggest otherwise.

Ahsoka looked taken aback by Siri's presence in the room. "I'll leave," she said quietly, and was about to when Siri approached her and put her hand on the teen's shoulder.

"What's going on that the clones can hear but I can't?" she asked, looking skeptically at the girl.

Ahsoka took a step away from her. "It's nothing, Master Tachi." She fled the room.

Siri turned around to look at the clones. "What's up with her, boys?"

"Nothing!" Fives replied quickly, a little too quickly. "Or, at least, nothing we know about!" He had a brash look on his face that drained away when he saw the look Siri was giving him. "You'll have to ask her, general. That's not our secret to tell." The other men nodded in agreement, except Rex, who looked uncomfortable.

Siri smiled at him. "I'm not gonna make you take sides, Rex. I'm just worried, is all. Anakin said that she's been distracted and is hiding something from him. He's worried it might be something bad."

Rex shook his head. "I promise, if she were in any danger at all, we would not keep her secret. We only want the best for her."

Siri sighed. "I guess I will have to ask her myself, because something tells me she doesn't want to open up to Anakin."


	4. Chapter 4

Ahsoka walked into Senator Chuchi's apartment, greeting her handmaiden as she passed her. Riyo was leaning on the railing of her balcony. Her sleek purple hair was in a braid that draped down her back. She was wearing a backless blue shimmersilk nightgown that stopped just below her crotch.

Riyo turned around. "Ahsoka," she greeted cheerily. She approached Ahsoka and hugged her.

Ahsoka put her hands on Riyo's cheeks and kissed her.

Riyo smiled. "Have you told your master yet?"

Ahsoka shook her head. "I don't know how he would… react to that. I don't know how he feels about lesbians."

"You can't hide it forever," Riyo commented. She opened her mouth to say something else when a handmaiden came over to the pair.

"Senator Amidala is here," she announced.

Riyo's eyes widened. "I totally forgot about that!" she exclaimed. She put a robe on over her nightgown and sat down on the couch across from Padmé.

"Hello, Senator Chuchi. Oh, hello Ahsoka. What are you doing here at this hour?"

Ahsoka's white cheek patterns flushed. "Just… hanging out. Am I interrupting anything?"

Padmé shook her head. "No, Ahsoka. I just think it's strange. I didn't know you two were friends."

"Yeah, we're friends," Ahsoka replied. She wasn't being entirely truthful and Padmé could clearly tell. She stood up. "I'll leave you two to your meeting."

Anakin entered Padmé's apartment. "Padmé?" he called.

She came over. "I just got back from a meeting with Senator Chuchi. Ahsoka was there." Padmé put her arms around his neck and kissed him. "Something weird is going on."

He nodded. "I noticed. She's been acting weird lately. Siri told me that the clones know what's going on but they won't tell."

Padmé furrowed her brow. "Who's Siri?"

"Obi-wan's ex."

She crossed her arms. "You hang out with Obi-wan's ex?" When he explained that the two were still friends, she nodded. "So, what do you think is going on with her?"

"Well, Senator Chuchi probably knows. So, we just need to get it out of her. Or the clones. You'd think that telling so many people would leave some loose ends."

"Chuchi's a politician, so I don't know how easy it'd be to get it out of her. At the same time, she's pretty young, so she has less experience with lying. As for the clones… well, you can order them to tell you, can't you?"

Anakin furrowed his brow. "I guess I can. But that feels wrong. I want it to be honest, if possible." He took out his comlink and called Ahsoka. The comlink rang three times before she picked up. She denied the face cam.

"What's up, Master?" she greeted. She sounded as though she didn't really want to be talking to him.

"Where are you?" he asked.

"I'm at Senator Chuchi's apartment. Do you need me for something?"

"When will you be back at the Temple? I don't need you to be right this second, but I just want to know." He tried to get the face cam on. "Snips, turn the face cam on."

"Why? I'll be back at the Temple in the morning. Why do you need to see me?" She sounded worried, too worried for nothing to be going on.

"Ahsoka, is there a boy there?" he demanded. "If you don't tell me what's going on, I'm coming over there."

"Fine!" She turned on the face cam, which showed her sitting on the couch with a blanket wrapped around her. "Happy?"

"What's under the blanket?" he growled.

She rolled her eyes. "My body?" She took the blanket off of herself to reveal her fully clothed figure. "Are you done yet?"

"I'm coming over there, Ahsoka." He hung up.

"Ani, don't you think you're being a little harsh?" Padmé asked. "She's been pretty honest here."

"Padmé, there's something going on. She's hiding something, and it has something to do with Chuchi."

Riyo cuddled back up to Ahsoka. "Why don't you just tell him?" she wondered. "It's too much effort to hide something from him when he probably won't even mind."

"Probably. Great." Ahsoka looked irritable.

A handmaiden entered the room. "Milady, Senator Amidala and General Skywalker are at the door."

Riyo stood up from the couch. "Go ahead and let them in."

Anakin and Padmé came into the living room. "Hey, Snips," Anakin greeted. "What's going on here?"

"I am spending time with Riyo," Ahsoka grumbled. "We're trying to have a girl's night."

Anakin closed his eyes like he was looking for someone in the Force. "What are you even doing?" He still sounded suspicious.

"We were talking, Master." Riyo sat back down next to Ahsoka and snuggled up next to her. "Can you go now?"

Anakin sighed. "Yes."

Quinlan had been meditating for hours. He needed to find the truth: could he love Obi-wan? He knew that romance was possible, but he had never been very good with real feelings. He stood up to go get a snack and bumped into Obi-wan.

"Hey," Obi-wan greeted. "What do you think?"

Quinlan's dark eyes slitted as he thought. He'd been meditating for hours but he still had no answer.

But the answer was there.

He kissed Obi-wan tenderly, or at least that was the intent. Suddenly they were groping at each other, kissing with so much passion it almost hurt. Quinlan felt something hard against his groin.

Obi-wan took a step back. "Is this real?" he panted.

Quinlan smiled at him. "This is real, Kenobi."

And it was.


End file.
